Field
This disclosure is generally related to task management. More specifically, this disclosure is related to a method for assisting a user in recovering from task interruption.
Related Art
Modern-day workers often found themselves juggling multiple tasks and activities. Sometimes, they have to switch between tasks, or return to a previously worked-on task after an unanticipated interruption. All these task switches can happen very rapidly.
As the worker's to-do list gets longer, it becomes increasingly difficult for a worker to remember the current stage of a task or an activity when he experiences an interruption. For example, a worker may be working on multiple tasks simultaneously, with multiple windows open on his desktop computer, when he is interrupted by an incoming phone call. After answering the phone call, during which the worker has to open another window on his computer to deal with a question from a colleague regarding a different task, the worker tries to return to his previous task. However, the worker may have a difficult time recalling which task he was working on previously as more than one window remains open on his computer. Even if the worker remembers which task he was working on and activates the correct window, he may still find it hard to resume his previous work, because he may have forgotten the precise step he was working on. For instance, if the worker was reviewing a document, he may forget which paragraph he just reviewed. To resume his reviewing activity, he may have to reread the document to find the place he left off. Such a process can be time consuming, thus leading to decreased daily productivity.
Several approaches have been proposed in the past. However, most approaches require manual input for task management, and are, thus, inefficient and inconvenient.